Middle East

UAE has 'Right to Defend Itself' but Chooses 'Restraint': Senior Official
UAE has 'Right to Defend Itself' but Chooses 'Restraint': Senior Official

The United Arab Emirates has the right to defend itself against Iran's ongoing strikes but chooses restraint, a senior UAE official has said, as Tehran continues its retaliatory attacks across the Gulf. "The UAE has the right to defend itself against this imposed terrorist aggression, but it is still prioritising reason and logic, ...

U.S. Embassy Attacked in Baghdad, Strikes Hit Iran-Backed Fighters
U.S. Embassy Attacked in Baghdad, Strikes Hit Iran-Backed Fighters

The US embassy in Baghdad was hit by an attack on Saturday following strikes that killed three members of a powerful Iran-backed group in the capital, security sources said. Iraq, long a proxy battleground between the United States and Iran, was quickly dragged into the Middle East war triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February ...

Israeli Strike on South Lebanon Health Centre Kills 12 Medical Staff
Israeli Strike on South Lebanon Health Centre Kills 12 Medical Staff

An Israeli strike on a primary healthcare centre in southern Lebanon killed at least 12 medical personnel, the Lebanese health ministry said Saturday as the war between Israel and Hezbollah rages on. In a statement, the ministry said it "mourns the healthcare workers in Burj Qalawiya who were killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the ...

Drone Attack Takes Place on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
Drone Attack Takes Place on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

A drone struck the US embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, an Iraqi security official said, as an AFP journalist saw smoke rising from the complex. "A drone hit the embassy," the official said, with a second security source confirming that an attack had targeted the diplomatic mission. The attack took place shortly after two Iran-backed fighters were ...

Oil Dips Under $100, Stocks Back in Green Tracking Mideast War
Oil Dips Under $100, Stocks Back in Green Tracking Mideast War

Oil dipped under $100 Friday, but remained far above pre-Mideast war levels with no end in sight to the disruption in supplies of crude. With the conflict heading towards its third week, equity markets were back in the green, having earlier lost ground amid investor worries about an extended crisis that could fan inflation and hammer the global ...

Strikes Kill 11 Iran-Backed Fighters Near Iraq-Syria Border, Capital: Officials
Strikes Kill 11 Iran-Backed Fighters Near Iraq-Syria Border, Capital: Officials

Air strikes killed at least 11 Iran-backed fighters in Iraq on Thursday near the Iraqi-Syrian border and in the capital Baghdad, senior security and armed faction officials told AFP. Iraqi authorities denounced the "blatant attacks" on bases that belong to the Hashed al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary group now integrated into the regular ...

War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region
War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region

Since the United States and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28, war has spread across the region and casualties have been reported in countries around the Middle East. AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls. The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and ...